It’s official! Thanks to Pokemon’s Twitter account, Pokken Tournament will be released simultaneously around the world on March 18, 2016! With an initial release window of “Spring 2016,” many people assumed that the Pokemen fighter would be released in Japan first with the rest of the globe to follow. But thanks to this announcement, the entire world will be able to catch up to Japan at once.
Can Pokken Tournament Keep up the Fight?
Despite being in Japan’s arcades since last summer, Pokken has been hurting financially. Its popularity has been waning since the game’s announcement. Many cite Pokken’s failings to be its low roster count and simple controls. Since those complaints, Namco Bandai has been updating the arcade game with more playable Pokemon and many more announcements.
The arcade’s original roster had 9 playable Pokemon: Pikachu, Charizard, Weavile, Machamp, Gengar, Lucario, Gardevoir, Suicune, and Blaziken. It was later revealed that Mewtwo, specifically Dark Mewtwo, would be the final boss of the arcade game and playable with the console’s release. Not long after did we get word of Sceptile and a Pikachu in a wrestling outfit, Pikachu Libre. Now we know that Braxien, Garchomp and Chandelure will be joining the fray thanks to a CoroCoro Comic leak that was later confirmed, thus upping the roster to 16 with another 16 Pokemon in support roles.
Pokken’s roster has become very diverse, offering a number of Pokemon that vary in form and function. This is perfectly exemplified with the last three newcomers. Braxien joins the cast as a range-based fighter, using Fire Blast and other projectiles. Garchomp is presumed to be aggressive in Pokken Tournament. It will have access to many of its devastating moves, such as Sand Tomb and Rush. Little is known of Chandelure. Its play style is presumed to be long-range. Namco Bandai plans on releasing a trailer to show off the Ghost/Fire Pokemon at the end of the month.
Which Pokemon do you want in Pokken Tournament? Let us know in the comments!